Man, 5-Year-Old Daughter Recovering After Being Shot At White Bear Lake Boat Launch
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Ramsey County investigators say a 24-year-old man and his 5-year-old daughter are recovering after they were shot near a White Bear Lake boat launch.
It happened around 4:30 p.m. Monday near Ramsey Beach. After they were shot, the man drove himself and his daughter to a Maplewood hospital. The child was transported to Regions. Both are expected to be okay.
"A black SUV came around this parking lot, parked next to him, and started shooting," said witness Kou Fan.
A quiet afternoon on White Bear Lake took a scary turn for Fan. He was cleaning his boat in the parking lot and says the victim and his daughter were doing the same when shots rang out.
"I didn't see any argument. Guy was behind me the whole time. I don't know what is going on there," said Fan.
"The daughter was lying on the grass. Dad was holding his ankle like this with blood all over."
Fan said it looked like both had been shot in the leg. He called 911, but the dad drove away.
"We don't believe it was a random incident. We believe the father was the intended target," said Mike Martin, an Undersheriff with Ramsey County.
Martin said in all 3 shots were fired but it's too early to speculate on a motive.
Because it was a hot day and near a lake, it is estimated hundreds of people were in the area. Martin says it's lucky nobody else was hurt.
"This is really unusual. That's a family beach. A place where people put their boats in to go out," said Martin.
Which is why it was on the minds of anglers and kayakers on Tuesday. Questions about why a shooting would happen here, and how a 5-year-old girl got caught in the middle.
"So unusual for this area and especially such a violent crime like that," said kayaker Susie Skalman.
"I wouldn't expect anything like this to happen. Especially at a boat launch and a nice area like White Bear. It's crazy to think about," said fisherwoman Chris Carbonneau.
Investigators said they've talked with the father and witnesses and are following up on leads but so far no arrests have been made.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department.